FSF/Safestanding

The Football Supporters’ Federation has launched a petition – visit www.fsf.org.uk/safestanding – as part of our campaign for the introduction of safe standing areas in the top two divisions in England and Wales. We know some of you might think that signing a petition is a bit of a futile gesture, but the timing for the campaign is crucial.

There is currently a bill going through Parliament which faces its second reading in a little under three months time, and for the first time in two decades the Sports Minister has agreed to look at the evidence on safe standing. We have a short timeframe to gather support and prove that there is a groundswell of opinion behind fans’ choice to stand at football in England and Wales. Within a week of launching the petition, nearly 10,000 fans added their voices to our campaign, but we need a great deal more support behind our cause. The more numbers that back our campaign, the stronger our case to the Government and football authorities will be.

There is a great deal of nonsense spoken about standing by the mainstream media and football commentators, and we feel we are constantly fighting an uphill battle. The most common argument is that standing is inherently unsafe. If that is the case, why is it allowed in Leagues One and Two? If standing was truly unsafe, it would be outlawed not only in the lower leagues, but at horseracing, rugby, motorsport and concerts (some of which are held in all-seater football stadiums). Our position is that if standing is safe in the lower leagues, then it must be safe in the top two divisions. We find the idea that safety is dependent upon the quality of football played on the pitch as absolutely absurd, and logically flawed.

Many opponents to standing mistakenly cite Hillsborough as a reason not to allow its introduction. Their argument is that a return to terraces means another Hillsborough disaster is inevitable. The tragic loss of lives in 1989 was not caused by standing; the Taylor Report primarily blamed the failure of police control. It did not ban standing, nor claim it was inherently unsafe. Furthermore, we are not calling for a reintroduction of terraces. Modern safe-standing areas in Germany feature convertible seats, with barriers between every row.

The FSF’s Safe Standing Campaign is also not just about those who prefer to stand. By giving supporters the choice, we think that everyone benefits. Those who wish to stand can do so, while those who prefer to sit no longer have to worry about having their view blocked. Every week thousands of fans stand in front of their seats for large parts of the game, and attempts by the authorities to end this practice have failed. Fans are standing in ever greater numbers, and we think they should be able to do so in safely designed and managed areas where possible.

The FSF does not propose that the stringent safety standards laid down in the Government’s Green Guide be abolished or weakened in any way, and nor are we suggesting that clubs should be forced to provide safe standing areas. Issues around cost and feasibility should be a matter for individual clubs and their fans, not for the government.

If you agree with us that fans should have the choice to sit or stand at football, please add your name to the thousands already in favour of safe standing. Now’s the best chance we’ll have to make a difference. We, as football fans, have to stand up for ourselves.

The FSF is the national supporters’ organisation for all football fans and represents more than 180,000 individual fans and affiliate members, such as supporters’ clubs, throughout England and Wales. Once closed this petition will be handed to the relevant government and football authorities.

Even if it was allowed I can’t see clubs ripping out seats to provide standing room. Health and Safety would limit the number of standing spaces provided, prices would be cheaper and CCTV would find it harder to keep tabs on spectators.

SOLD OUT!

SOLD OUT!

Reviews

"This is an enjoyable and perceptive romp through the career of the greatest ever Fulham manager. Whilst the latter stage of Hodgson's career will be familiar to football fans in England, the book sheds interesting light on what I suspect is the much less well-known earlier phase of his coaching & management career in other parts of Europe. His image has become a somewhat avuncular and gentlemanly one, but what does come out in the book is Hodgson's ambition and steeliness when needed. Fulham fans (of whom I'm obviously one) were gutted when he left to take over at Liverpool, but although his football manager trajectory has been a little unconventional you can see from this bio that Hodgson's eyes were always on the big prize. Noone expects England to win the World Cup in Brazil, but anyone who can take Fulham to the Europa League Final should not be written off lightly. A good read."

Reviews

"An excellent book - thoroughly researched and well written. A really enjoyable read. Fantastic value too at only £3. I wholeheartedly recommend it."

Reviews

"A fabulous read that covers Roy Hodgson's career up to getting the England job in more detail than anything else I've read. Some great insights into how Roy has developed as a coach & a manager that will be of interest to any football fan but particularly those whose clubs he managed."